


The Extraordinary Ordinary

by Kantayra



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-21
Updated: 2011-10-21
Packaged: 2017-10-24 20:30:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/267572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kantayra/pseuds/Kantayra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A commemoration of a lifetime dedicated to Go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Extraordinary Ordinary

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Round 12 of [](http://blind-go.livejournal.com/profile)[**blind_go**](http://blind-go.livejournal.com/) [here](http://answer-key.livejournal.com/134839.html).

“Most of you here today probably aren’t old enough to remember the excitement when the New Wave first emerged on the professional Go scene. It’s hard to imagine now a time when Touya Meijin II and Shindou Honinbou weren’t legends. It’s hard to think that there was a time before Isumi Judan and Ko Yeong-ha’s games weren’t taught at the Institute. And can anyone here remember when they last saw a game that’s yosei _wasn’t_ influenced by Yoshiro’s challenge to Waya Tengen in ’23?

“For those of us who are old enough, though, it’s beyond extraordinary how much the Go world has changed in only half a century. For a decade there, it seemed that every year there was a new wonder kid, each different from the last – and each with something more to teach us all about Go. We were all there – cheering and elated – when Japan took back _three_ world titles in the course of a single year. The names of the New Wave are names we all know. They are our teachers, our mentors, and our idols.

“But the woman I’m here to talk to you about today isn’t famous. Her name won’t go down in the history books. Many of the younger players today aren’t even familiar with her name. However, she too was born into the same generation as the New Wave and, when it comes down to influence on the world of Go, her influence was just as profound.

“Her name was Nase Asumi. She didn’t become a pro until she was 23. It took her eight times to pass the pro exam. Her entire career, she never made it past 1 dan.

“I know what you’re all thinking: an ordinary career, nothing special, nothing to write home about. Those of you who didn’t know her probably can’t figure out why I’m making such a fuss. But those of you who _did_ know her realize exactly how crucial she was, to all of us.

“Promotions and titles are what is admired the most in Go, but they are far from the only important things.

“I want you all to do me a favor. Look at your neighbors. These people are the current pride of professional Go in Japan. Now, I want everyone who was a student of Nase-sensei’s as an insei to raise their hands. Look around again. A full quarter of this room about, isn’t it?

“Nase may not have been the most advanced teacher, but she was one of the most enthusiastic. There are great players whose heart just isn’t in teaching, and – likewise – there are great teachers who may not be the best players. Nase was relentless in her quest for new talent to nurture.

“For those of you who haven’t heard the story, she infamously found Arai Ouza there at a local cultural festival, playing on a small magnetic board he’d won as a prize, all by himself. She sat down to play with him and, by the end of the evening, he’d become her newest pupil.

“Incredible good fortune, you say! But Nase made her own luck. She never gave up, never stopped looking for new students, and she taught them not only how to play Go, but how to _love_ Go, as well. The number of her students who persisted, who _succeeded_ , as pros speaks to that.

“Nase’s influence isn’t only found among the ranks of pros, though. And it’s the rest of the Go community that was truly graced by her presence. Her introductory children’s books on Go are popular enough in Japan, even now, thirty years after the first publication of ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ But Nase wasn’t content just to make Japan love Go; she struggled, badgered, and sometimes downright bribed foreign publishing houses to translate her books. She even learned two languages herself so that she do her own editing every night after she was finished with her dozens of other obligations.

“I had the honor of introducing Nase to a Go club in Stockholm, and every single person in that room had brought a copy of Swedish editions of one of her books to sign. They didn’t have to go out and purchase them; they just had them. Nase’s books were what had taught them all about Go in the first place.

“And that was Nase’s special gift, really. Others taught and trained the very best – I played a teaching game with Ochi 9-dan once, and I’ve never learned more in one afternoon. But Nase made Go accessible to everyone. She realized that the best players weren’t the ones who mattered most.

“I bet most of you don’t know the name Furuya Hajime. If you did know him, he’d be the first to tell you that he’s a terrible player. No patience – is what he says – and not enough focus. Nevertheless, Furuya Hajime made one of the greatest contributions to the Japanese Go world. I can see that most of you have no clue what I’m talking about.

“Well, this will be more familiar to you: Who watched game seven of Touya Meijin II’s challenge of Shindou Honinbou for the Honinbou title in ’38? Pretty much everyone here who was alive, huh? And, if you missed it, who _wishes_ they’d been able to see it live?

“Ha! All of you. I don’t blame you. How many times do you see the Hand of God played? …And then played again, five moves later, in the very same game? Touya Meijin II and Shindou Honinbou looked as stunned as the rest of the world when it was over. If ever a game needed to be televised live, so that everyone could watch it, it was that one.

“And Nase was the one who made that happen. One of her (again self-described) ‘most thick-headed students’ was Furuya Hajime, and while he was never cut out to be a Go pro, he was absolutely brilliant at business. He had his own company at age 21. He had his own satellite network at age 25. And, at age 27 when he wanted to broadcast the ’38 Honinbou challenge, his advisors all told him that it was a waste of airspace and no one would watch it. And the ratings were pretty abysmal, let me tell you. But _he_ wanted to watch it live and, because of that, _we_ all got to, as well. That was the kind of love of the game Nase had taught him, and he played that forward, to all of us.

“If I explained all the ways Nase worked to promote Go, I would be here all day. How she visited Go salons all across Japan. How she toured the world, as long as she could travel, encouraging players in foreign countries who would never have had a chance to meet a pro live, otherwise. How her students became professional players and amateur players and owners of their own Salons and members of the publications staff at the Go Institute and teachers of their own and…

“Well, the list is almost endless.

“Some of them even became sponsors of tournaments, like the one I’m hosting for you all today. Because of Nase, I am here. I have found peace and fulfillment in a game of infinite beauty and complexity. I cannot think of a better cause for this donation because, even if I played for a million years, I doubt I could ever play a game as clever as all the games you’re going to play for me today.

“Like Furuya, I’m a selfish old bastard, and I want to watch the most amazing Go I can, for as long as I live.

“Today marks the one-year anniversary of Nase Asumi’s death. Just two weeks before she died, I visited her in the hospital, and she trounced me soundly in the game we played. She was still my teacher and friend, decades after we’d first met. She was still just as sharp, too, even at age 92.

“Nase was the last of the New Wave to die. And, as such, I can think of nothing more fitting to start out this tournament, so that the _New_ New Wave that she helped create, can rise.

“Thank you for the wonderful Go you are all about to play, and good luck!”


End file.
